Center at the Strong adds video game collection

The International Center for the History of Electronic Games at the Strong has acquired a collection of Japanese video games with more than 7,000 items, making the center the most comprehensive collector of Japanese video games and related materials in the world.

The package came from brothers Andre and Sylvio Hodos, collectors in southern France who began importing video games from Japan some 20 years ago. The brothers collected every game for each of 22 systems, working in what experts termed a crucial period when Japanese video game designers were the pioneers of many important technologies and styles of play.

“After giving two decades of our lives to completing these sets and capturing nearly 20 years of console video gaming history, it is a great honor to know that our collection will have a ‘good home’ and will be preserved for future generations by one of the most respected museums in the world," Andre Hodos said in a statement.

The collection now includes more than 7,000 Japanese video games as well as home consoles and accessories made by Sega Corp., Nintendo Co. Ltd. and Pioneer.

“The history of this collection underscores the global nature of video game technology and game play,” said Jon-Paul Dyson, ICHEG director.

“By adding to the Strong’s unparalleled collection of software, hardware, media and archival materials with this large, prestigious, and well-preserved collection, ICHEG fulfills its mission of ensuring that the rich history of video games is preserved for scholars, the general public, and everyone who loves these games and understands their importance.”